A gallipot is a small

jar A jar is a rigid, cylindrical or slightly conical container, typically made of glass, ceramic, or plastic, with a wide mouth or opening that can be closed with a lid, screw cap, lug cap, cork stopper, roll-on cap, crimp-on cap, press-on cap, ...

, traditionally of glazed earthenware, used by

apothecaries ''Apothecary'' () is a mostly archaic term for a medicine, medical professional who formulates and dispenses ''materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons, and patients. The modern chemist (British English) or pharmacist (British and Nor ...

for holding

ointment A topical medication is a medication that is applied to a particular place on or in the body. Most often topical medication means application to body surfaces such as the skin or mucous membranes to treat ailments via a large range of classes ...

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...

. In the 21st century gallipots are available in plastic: a sales catalogue describes one with a 60ml capacity as "For general use, surgical procedures, and other medical uses; Useful for holding medicines or ointments". Another supplier offers both single-use and reusable gallipots of 60ml and 280ml. The term, recorded from the 15th century, may derive from the idea of pots originally imported in

galley A galley is a type of ship that is propelled mainly by oars. The galley is characterized by its long, slender hull, shallow draft, and low freeboard (clearance between sea and gunwale). Virtually all types of galleys had sails that could be used ...

s, and has also been used for small pots used for other purposes - such as preparing an individual portion of custard or melting wax while making fishing flies. The Gallipot Inn - geograph

The 16th-century Gallipot Inn in

Hartfield Hartfield is a village and civil parish in the Wealden district of East Sussex, England. The parish also includes the settlements of Colemans Hatch, Hammerwood and Holtye, all lying on the northern edge of Ashdown Forest. Geography The main ...

, Sussex, England, is said to take its name "from the small glazed earthenware pots made to contain medicines and ointments that were once produced on-site". Gallipots in a variety of shapes are held in several museums. File:Gallipot, England, probably London, c. 1760, tin-glazed earthenware, HD 91.150 - Flynt Center of Early New England Life - Deerfield, Massachusetts - DSC04326.jpg, c. 1760, English tin-glazed earthenware in the Flynt Center of Early New England Life - Deerfield, Massachusetts File:MET 24 80 157 56685.jpg , Kangxi period (1662–1722) Chinese porcelain in the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

File:MET 65 86 119 O1.jpg, 18th-century Chinese ivory in the

References

Surgical instruments Containers {{pharma-stub